Refrigerator



IlNiTnu A STATES VPATENT Carien.

CHARLES A. BLUHM, OFMICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,089, dated June 26, 1888.

Application filed August 20, 1387. Seria] No. 247.420. (No model.)

'me in Letters Patent of the United States, No.

365,901, dated July 5, 1887.

My present invention consists in the novel construction of the ice-pan and platform and the novel combination of devices whereby I produce a central circulation of cold air downward from the ice-chamber through the center of the refrigeratiugchamber below. In my former patent, above referred to, I employed deflectingplates, marked L in the drawings of said patent, which were located below the ice-pan for the purpose of defiecting the cold air centrally through the refrigerating-chamloer. The difficulty in the practical use of the deflecting-plates is that occasionally, under certain circumstances, moisture is liable to collect upon the defiecting-plates and drip down upon the articles inthe refrigeratingchamber.

Itis the object of the present invention to overcome this difficulty.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, I have shown my refrigerator-as shown and described in my former patent-with my present improvements attached or applied thereto. A detail description of the general construction of the refrigerator itself will be` found in my former patent, and need not therefore be here particularly given.

In the drawings, Figure l is a central vertical longitudinal section of the refrigerator. Fig. 2 is a central vertical crosssection of the same, and Fig. 3 is a detail enlarged cross sectional View of the parts to which my present improvement relates, as shown in Fig. 2.

In said drawings, A represents the outer or non-conducting wall, and Bis the inner metallic or conducting wall of the refrigerator; C, the continuous air-space between the two conducting` and non-conducting walls.

D is the top or cover.

E represents the horizontal framepieces or platform upon which the inner or sheet-metal wall or the bottom B thereof rests.

I32 is the drip-pan.

C are the ventilator-openings in the sides or walls of the drip-pan, which constitute the principal means of communication between the refrigerating-chamber B and the airspace C between the walls, and C2 Cl are the venti later-openings which lead from said space C to the space between the two walls of the cover D.

F is the ice platform or chamber, supported upon the angle-iron or other brackets, G, which are secured to the inner wall of the refrigerator.

The ice-platform F is of wood, and has vertical e'nd pieces, f, also of wood, and is lined upon the inside or upper side with a tight sheet-metal pan or tray, F', having vertical flanges f extending around the central opening, F2, in the platform F. To support and protect these vertical flanges f', square wooden strips f are also secured to the platform F around the opening F2.

His the ice-rack, consisting of thc longitudinal timbers H, covered on the upper side with corrugated galvanized sheet-iron 71 and provided on the under side with a galvanized iron plate, 7L', which plate is furnished with depending `iianges 7L'i,which tit over the vertical flan ges f of the ice-platform pan F. The plate h is secured to the longitudinal bars H of the ice-rack, and is furnished with a central opening, h, for the passageof the cold air from the ice centrally downward through the refrigerating-chamber. Around this opening h3 the sheet-metal bottom h of the ice-rack is furnished with a vertical flange, 71.*, to prevent the moisture which may collect on the under l A surface of the sheet-iron h and drop down on the sheet metal h from dripping through the air-passage h3 down upon the articles in the refrigerating-chamber. To prevent any water or moisture collecting upon the under surface of the sheet-metal bottom h' of the open hollow ice-rack, I provide said metal bottom h with a Wood or non-conducting lining, h5, on its under side. The sheet-metal bottom h' of the hollow ice-rack does not extend the full IOO length ofthe icerack, but simply far enough to fit over the inner edge or wall,f, of the ice-pan F.

The ice-rack H rests and is supported upon the Wood supporting ledges H', extending transversely across the ice-platform at its ends. The cold air from the ice in the ice-chamber will pass through the hollow ice-rack H, between the upper and lower sheet-metal walls thereof, It h, and down through the central opening, h, centrally through the refrigerating-chamber B3, and through the air-passages C and up through the air-space C and out of the refrigerator.

It will be observed that the hollow ice-rack H may be removed bodily from the ice-platform F and taken out of the refrigerator through its open top or cover. This is a matter of convenience, and facilitates the cleaning. To further facilitate the cleaning of the icerack, and also the removal and replacement of the galvanized iron h when Worn, I secure the same to the timbers H removably. rIhis I do by providing the outside timbers H with sheetmetal angle or ilange plates hl, which serve as guides, and then providing the corrugated sheet metal h with folds h6 h at its edge, which serve as guide-grooves, so that the sheet h may be slipped lengthwise on or off.

N is the water-pan at the bottom of the refrigerator, into which the water from the icepan F' is delivered by the drip-pipe N. The Water-panN is furnished with an exit-pipe, n, the mouth of which extends up to near the top of the water-pan and above the lower end or mouth of the drip-pipe N. This dischargepipe n is furnished with a float-valve, a', which operates to open the discharge-pipe and allow the surplus Water to escape when it rises above a certain level and keep the discharge-pipe closed at other times, so that the Warm air will not be admitted through the same. As the lower end of the drip-pipe Nis below the surface of the water in the water-pan N, no air can pass up through this drip-pipe to the icechainber.

The inner sheet-metal Wall,- B, of the refrigerator I furnish with openings C3 for the passage of air from the refrigerating-chamber up through the space C* between the ends of the ice-platform and the inner wall, B, out through the air-space C between the outer and inner wall, and thence out of the refrigerator through the ventilator-o ening in the cover D at the top. These ven ilator-openings C, I find, materially contribute to the prevention of moisture collectingunder the surface of the iceplatform and dripping down upon the articles in the refrigerating-chamber.

I claim- 1. In a refrigerator, the combination, with its ice-pan and drip-pipe N', of a water-pan, N, into which said drip-pipe extends, and a dis charge-pipe, u, projecting into the Water-pan, provided with a float-Valve, a', said drip-pipe extending below the orifice of said dischargepipe and said float-valve operating to close the discharge-pipe except when the water rises above its proper level in said Water-pan, substantially as specified. f

2. The combination, in a refrigerator having double walls at sides, top, and bottom and an air-space between them, of a refrigeratingchamber and an ice chamber above said refrigerating-cbamber, an ice-platform, and an icerack, H, provided with upper and lower metal sheets, h h', said upper sheet, h, being secured to the ice-rack H by guides lf, attached to the ice rack at itsv edges, and guide-grooves h6 at the edges of said metal sheet h, so that said sheet-metal cover h may be removed from the ice-rack, substantially as specified.

3. The refrigerator having an outer nonconducting wall and an inner metallic or conducting wall, with a continuous or connected air-space between the same at sides, top, and bottom, said inner wall having a central ventilatoropening through the floor or bottom thereof, and said outer Wall having a ventilater-opening through its top or cover, said ventilator-openings communicating together through the air-space between said Walls, a refrigerat-ing chamber, and anice pan or chamber above said refrigerating-chamber, said ice pan or chamber having air spaces or passages between its ends and said inner metallic wall of the refrigerator, the ice platform or bottom of the ice-chamber being of wood and provided with a central opening, and said refrigerator being furnished with a hollow ice-rack, H, provided with a central opening, h, to permit the cold air from the ice to pass centrally downward through the refrigerating-chamber, and said inner sheet-metal wall B being furnished with ventilator-openings O3, communicating between the space C and the space C* between the ends of the ice-platform and the inner wall, substantially as specified.

CHAS. A. BLUHM.

Witnesses: u

O'rfro KLOEBFER, L. G. TALIFARO.

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